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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30144171">a steady hand to hold</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmileHoney/pseuds/SmileHoney'>SmileHoney</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>you, me, my whole world (zukka week 2021) [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: The Last Airbender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Chronic Pain, First Kiss, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, POV Sokka (Avatar), Sharing a Bed, Sokka (Avatar) Has Chronic Pain, Supportive Zuko (Avatar), Zukka Week 2021, and they were roommates....., projecting my own issues onto sokka rip, rated for language, why isnt that a tag yet??? come on zukkas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:20:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,848</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30144171</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmileHoney/pseuds/SmileHoney</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>He hummed, brushing his hair back again- the touch was unbearably gentle, and Sokka longed to ask what it meant. “Would it help if I stayed with you?”</p><p>“Yes,” Sokka said immediately- he didn’t need to think to know that having Zuko at his side the rest of the night would help. It always did. </p><p>or,</p><p>Sokka's chronic pain wakes him up in the middle of the night, and Zuko is there to help... If only he knew Sokka was in love with him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>you, me, my whole world (zukka week 2021) [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2211711</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>257</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>a steady hand to hold</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>day 6 of zukka week, for both prompts: chronic pain and hurt/comfort</p><p>everyone experiences chronic pain a little bit differently, so i took some of what i go through with my back and applied it to sokka's knee. my take isn't the end all be all, though, so please keep that in mind! also anyone who has chronic pain, i love you and dedicate this to you &lt;3</p><p>also this an expansion from a prompt i answered on tumblr, so if it seems familiar that's why! i just really loved that prompt and wanted to expand on it here, and show them getting together so.... yeah</p><p>title from promises from hadestown</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sokka woke up suddenly in the middle of the night to a sharp pain exploding from his knee and tears streaming down his face. His knee- injured in a car accident a year and a half ago- throbbed, pain traveling down his shin and up his thigh in tiny repetitive waves, and he choked on a sob. It had been a long time since he woke up in this much pain- the type of pain that filled his senses and made everything blur around him until it was all he was aware of- and he didn’t quite understand why this was happening to him, because he’d been doing </span>
  <em>
    <span>so well.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d been feeling so strong recently, with barely even a flare up in the past few weeks, and he’d been extra good about taking care of his knee. He’d been doing his exercises- both those recommended by his physical therapist, Yugoda, and by Katara. He’d been good about wearing his brace when he knew he’d be on his feet for long periods of time. He’d been taking the elevator in his apartment complex instead of the stairs, despite being terrified of getting stuck in it. He propped it up and applied ice when he got home from school, and heat before he went to bed, and everytime he needed it between then.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was doing everything right, so </span>
  <em>
    <span>why was this happening to him?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He tried to relax and shift around in bed to relieve some of the pressure on his knee, knowing that the rigidly straight position it was set in wasn’t helping his situation. Except when he tried to move his leg there was a stabbing, white hot pain, and before he could stop himself he cried out in anguish, loud enough that it echoed through the apartment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He collapsed back into his bed tiredly, giving up on getting comfortable, and his eyes slipped shut as he sobbed loudly into the silent darkness of his room, the waves rippling in his leg never ceasing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tears flowed freely and heavily, combining with the pain to make it so that he wasn’t sure how long he laid there. It could have been minutes or hours, until there was a sudden brightness from his light turning on that painted his still closed eyelids orange.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t open his eyes or stop crying, but he did relax slightly, because there was only one person it could be. He felt bad for waking Zuko up with his screaming and sobbing, but at the same time he couldn’t help but be grateful that he wasn’t alone anymore- that his best friend had come to help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was the sound of rummaging around in his bathroom for a few seconds, and before he knew it his bed was dipping slightly under Zuko’s weight. The strong line of his thigh pressed against Sokka’s side, warm and grounding, and he felt the tension begin to ooze out of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Sokka, it’s me,” Zuko murmured softly, his tired, raspy voice more soothing than Sokka could begin to say. “What’re you feeling right now? What sort of pain?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he spoke, his voice cracked after crying for so long. “It’s really hot and sharp when I try to move. And just laying here, it’s throbbing- like little waves. And it... It hurts, Zuko, really bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, it’s okay,” he soothed him gently, squeezing his hand. “I’m sorry it’s hurting so badly. But I brought you some stuff to make it feel better. I wasn’t sure if you wanted heat or ice, so I grabbed both, but it sounds like it’s a heat type of night?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded mutely, unable to speak around the frog in his throat at the realization that he recognized when Sokka needed heat rather than ice. Zuko squeezed his hand again in confirmation before pulling away, and after a few seconds of scuffling as he plugged it into the outlet, there was the gentle pressure and steady warmth of his heating pack over his knee. He sighed, the heat providing immediate relief- almost as much as Zuko himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that good?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he mumbled, patting around until he found Zuko’s own knee with his hand, and squeezed it in gratitude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I brought you your painkillers and water, too. Do you think you can lift your head and take them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka would do anything to feel better, especially if it was Zuko asking, but he didn’t say that. Instead, he just mumbled, “Yeah, I can do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lifted his head a little bit, Zuko’s hand coming to the back of his head to support it. He then dropped the medicine into his hand, and Sokka brought it to his mouth- Zuko following him with a cup that had a straw in it. His heart was tossed upside down by the gesture and he suddenly felt unbearably warm; he’d been pining after Zuko for so long- a few years, at this point- and his thoughtfulness in doing things such as this was just one of the many reasons why. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was everything else, too, like the fact that he was one of the most beautiful people Sokka had ever seen, his wry sense of humor, how he always laughed at Sokka’s jokes (even if no one else found them funny), how he softened around animals and kids, how he danced in their kitchen but then swore he didn’t know how when they went clubbing with their friends, how he was Sokka’s best friend and he couldn’t imagine his life without him...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yeah. Sokka was pretty gone for Zuko, and it was already hard enough to keep himself from accidentally blurting out how he felt about him as it was. This gesture, though, brought the words right to the tip of his tongue, and he tried desperately to swallow them down with the pills.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not that he was able to think about it much longer, because his knee throbbed painfully again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hissed, tensing up again as he lowered his head back down, and Zuko sighed. “I’m so sorry, Sokka,” he murmured again, his hand coming up to brush the hair that had fallen in front of his face back- a motion Zuko knew would help soothe him. “Is there anything else I can do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka shook his head, another stray tear leaking out of the corner of his eye. “I wish there was, but... No. I don’t even know why this is happening to me. I mean, I’ve been so good about everything, doing exactly what I’m supposed to. I do everything right, but I still wake up in the middle of the night in the </span>
  <em>
    <span>worst fucking pain,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and I can’t even get out of bed to take care of it myself-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He cut himself off before he could start crying much harder, bringing the heels of his palms up to dig into his eyes. Still, Zuko didn’t stop brushing back his hair or speak- he just waited for Sokka to continue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry. I woke you up in the middle of the night and now you’re doing all of this to take care of me, and all I can do is cry and rant at you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Sokka. I’m happy to help you, even if it’s just by listening to you vent,” he said, a depth to his words that Sokka couldn’t quite wrap his mind around right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I just wish there was something more I could do,” he confessed instead. “I always feel so... So helpless. Like I should be able to do more to help myself feel better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand how that can feel,” he murmured back, just as quietly. “After I got my scar, I didn’t know how to help myself, but it’s all I wanted to do. It took a long time to welcome other people’s help, even Uncle’s. I just wanted everything to go back to normal, to be independent, to stop finding things that I couldn’t do myself anymore. It’s hard, it really is, and I don’t blame you or think less of you for feeling that way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You make it easy to accept your help, though,” Sokka said, the words slipping out before he could think about the implication of them. Still, once they were said, he found he couldn’t bring himself to regret them or take them back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because it was true- Zuko did make it easy, with his soft smiles and gentle touches, how he always did what he could to help and understood things so easily, how he listened to what Sokka had to say and somehow knew exactly how to make him feel better. It was just another one of the things that had led to Sokka falling for his best friend, and falling hard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko didn’t seem to find it weird though, just squeezed Sokka’s hand and countered, “And you make it easy to offer it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka wondered what, if he were to open his eyes, the expression he’d see on Zuko's face right now would be. If it would be as soft and open and vulnerable as his words, if there would be the same hint of reverence behind his eyes as there was in his voice, if he’d see love written on the lines of his face the same way it was woven throughout those words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t think he could bear to find out right now, his exhaustion and pain addled brain making him unsure of what would would be worse- to open his eyes and see those things and know Zuko felt the same, or to open his eyes and not see it and know Zuko only saw him as a friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kept his eyes shut. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kept his eyes shut and didn’t say anything, and they sat in for a long while as Sokka let heat seep into his leg. It was silent, no sound in the room besides the whirring of Sokka’s fan, the ticking of his clock, and their quiet exhales, perfectly timed with each other. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, Zuko broke the peaceful atmosphere to ask quietly, “Is it beginning to feel a little better?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shrugged- it had settled to a dull ache with the heat, enough that it wasn’t all consuming anymore, but it was still more painful than it had been in a long time. “A little. Not a ton, but you helped. Thank you for coming to help me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He hummed, brushing his hair back again- the touch was unbearably gentle, and Sokka longed to ask what it meant. “Would it help if I stayed with you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Sokka said immediately- he didn’t need to think to know that having Zuko at his side the rest of the night would help. It always did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” he murmured easily. “I’m just going to turn the light out, but I’ll be right back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded, and the bed shifted again as Zuko got up. The orange glow beyond his eyelids faded to black, and barely a second later the bed dipped again. Instantly, the warm line of his body was pressed against Sokka’s side. He sighed, the touch comforting, and he reached out blindly. He didn’t have to search for long, though, before he found Zuko’s hand and laced their fingers together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is this okay?” he asked him, barely loud enough to be heard over his fan. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Zuko responded just as quietly. “It’s okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was something more to those few words, Sokka knew, but now wasn’t the time to talk about it. Maybe in the morning, he thought as he drifted off with Zuko clutching his hand tightly. Maybe in the morning, if Zuko was still here, they’d talk about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>- - -</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka woke in the morning with the screaming in his leg reduced to a persistent, dull throb. It was unpleasant and painful, still so unbearably painful, but it was a little better than it had been last night. And when he tried to bend his knee only to find it stiff and swollen, he was relieved he didn’t have work or school today- he could just spend the day hobbling around the apartment, and maybe binge watch a baking show or Star Wars or something. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pushed that to the back of his mind, though, when he realized there was a heavy warmth on his stomach and right leg, and another body pressed to his side. He opened his eyes to find Zuko cuddled right up to him, their hands having separated during the night in favor of Zuko wrapping his arm around Sokka’s waist. His head was resting on Sokka’s shoulder, and one of his legs was wrapped around Sokka’s right. It was as if his best-friend-roommate-person-he-was-in-love-with had gravitated toward him while they slept and when he was unable to get close enough, had settled for wrapping himself around Sokka like an octopus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was rare for Sokka to sleep later than his roommate, so he took the moment to just admire him. He was warm and relaxed, his face peaceful and open with all of the things that usually weighed down on him far out of reach as he slept. His dark eyelashes rested lightly on the tops of his cheekbones, and as he breathed, the strands of dark hair that fell messily over his face fluttered slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was beautiful, and it made Sokka’s heart race. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wished more than anything, suddenly, that he could press soft kisses to Zuko’s face until he woke up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could imagine it in his mind- a slow smile would spread across Zuko’s face as he realized what was happening, and his arm would tighten around Sokka’s waist. Then he’d shift his head so that he was looking up at Sokka, sleepy eyes gazing at him fondly and a soft smile- the kind only he ever got to see- gracing his lips. He’d murmur a good morning, his morning voice low and raspy in a way that sent shivers up Sokka’s spine, and then they’d both lean in for a kiss, morning breath be damned-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka was yanked out of his imagination by a sharp throb from his knee, and he sighed heavily. He wanted to keep holding Zuko forever, but it seemed his knee wasn’t going to let him. He knew if he laid there another second he would end up bursting into tears again, so he set about carefully extracting himself from Zuko’s grasp. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was hard to do, especially when Zuko kept finding ways to tighten his grip and pull Sokka closer again- if he didn’t already know he was a cuddler, he would have thought Zuko was awake. As it was, though, Zuko stayed asleep and eventually Sokka managed to free himself from his grasp. As he sat on the edge of his bed, bracing himself to get up, Zuko let out a discontent sigh from behind him. When he looked over his shoulder, he had curled into a ball, arm stretched out to where Sokka had just been, like he was searching for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that…. Well, it was disarmingly cute and made Sokka’s heart go wild, thudding against his ribs so loudly he was sure it would wake Zuko up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could do something stupid, like </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually </span>
  </em>
  <span>kiss him, Sokka grit his teeth and forced himself to his feet. His knee ached and he had to bite his lip to keep himself from crying out, not wanting to wake Zuko up with a shout of pain for the second time in less than six hours. He already knew he wouldn’t be able to walk very well on it, so he hopped on one foot over to where his cane rested against the wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he wrapped his hand around the handle, he couldn’t help but feel like a failure. If he’d been better about icing it immediately after the accident, if he’d been more diligent and did an extra rep of all of his exercises, if he’d been better about not pushing himself, if he’d just done </span>
  <em>
    <span>more, </span>
  </em>
  <span>maybe this wouldn’t be happening right now. Maybe he wouldn’t have this horrible lingering pain, and maybe he wouldn’t have to use the cane, and maybe he wouldn’t wake Zuko up in the middle of the night-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He cut himself off before he could spiral, knowing what everyone would say if they could hear his thoughts. They’d say it wasn’t his fault, he was doing everything right, and he wasn’t any less for needing help every so often.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew all that was true, and yet, he couldn’t really believe it until he imagined hearing Zuko saying it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With new determination and another glance at the figure curled beneath his covers, he grasped his cane tightly and made his way out of his room. In the kitchen, he grabbed an ice pack and a cup of coffee, then sat down on the couch with his leg propped up. He scrolled through Netflix aimlessly for a while before he decided on the Great British Bake Off, something lowkey enough that he could keep the volume down and subtitles on so as not to disturb Zuko. As the episode began, he pulled out his phone to send Katara a message.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> hey kit-kat</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> i had another flare up last night</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Katara:</b>
  <span> Shit, I’m sorry Sokka :( Are you alright? Why didn’t you call me?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> im alright ig</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> it still hurts but its fine</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> and i didnt call bc zuko came in and helped</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Katara:</b>
  <span> Ah… I should have known your knight in shining armor was there ;)</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Katara:</b>
  <span> Do you know why it hurts?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> shut up katara</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> no i just woke up and it felt like my knee was on fire</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> i have no clue why bc ive been so good about it lately</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> mostly im just really frustrated and upset with myself</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Katara:</b>
  <span> I know you have. You’ve been doing really well with everything. And I can imagine it’s frustrating, and you’re so valid for feeling that way… Just remember that the flare up isn’t your fault- it’s just going to happen sometimes, even if you’re doing everything right.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Katara:</b>
  <span> I know that’s not what you want to hear though, and I’m sorry you’re going through this and dealing with this pain all the time. If I could take it all away for you, I could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> no ur fine, it does helps</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Sokka</b>
  <span>: but is there anything i can do? </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> im elevating and icing it rn </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> and im using my cane if i need to walk </span>
</p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> but other than that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Katara:</b>
  <span> No, you’re doing the right things. Just make sure to take breaks with the ice and take little walks every now and then- it’ll hurt, but it’ll help with any swelling and stuff like that. Nothing crazy, but maybe a few laps around your apartment once every hour… Maybe Zuko will help you with them ;)</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Katara:</b>
  <span> But otherwise, just take it easy. You’ve got this, Sokka. I’m so proud of you, and I’m here if you need anything, alright?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> alright</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> thanks katara</span>
</p><p>
  <b>Sokka:</b>
  <span> i love you</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Katara:</b>
  <span> Love you too, big bro &lt;3</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sat there for a moment, staring at the message in which she called Zuko his knight in shining armor. He wanted to dispute it, but he realized he really… Couldn’t. If Zuko hadn’t come in last night, Sokka wasn’t sure what he would have done- there was no way he could have grabbed his heating pad or meds himself, and he was pretty sure that without Zuko at his side, he wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep again, either. So maybe he just grabbed a heating pad instead of fighting a dragon, and maybe he was wearing pajamas instead of armor, but Zuko had still saved him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just then, as if his thoughts had woken him up, Zuko walked out of his room, rubbing sleep from his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning,” he mumbled, eyeing Sokka’s cup of coffee. “Is there any more of that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he said thickly, trying to pretend he wasn’t staring at how adorably sleep rumpled Zuko was. “Yeah, there is. I made extra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excellent,” he hummed, shuffling straight over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka fixed his gaze on the tv and listened to the sounds of Zuko moving around the kitchen, and eventually his roommate came over and sat next to him on the couch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How are you feeling?” he asked carefully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka shrugged. “Still hurts, but it’s more dull now. I’m going to take it easy today, though- Katara’s orders.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. If you need anything, you just have to ask, alright?” Zuko insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded, tears pricking at his eyes at how selflessly Zuko offered his help. “Yeah, okay. Thanks, Zuko.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Sokka,” he said easily, before turning back to the tv. He wrinkled his nose as one of the contestants grabbed salt instead of sugar and muttered tensely, “Oh no, don’t do that, please don’t- And they did it. That’s… Oh no. This is a mess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka laughed slightly, then a thought occurred to him and he asked, “Hey, I didn’t wake you up again, did I? I was trying to be quiet, but-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you didn’t,” Zuko stopped him, placing a hand on his shin. Sokka could only stare at it, the touch burning. “I woke up and was surprised you were gone, actually, since you always sleep later than I do. But even if you had, I wouldn’t have minded. You’re worth being woken up for, no matter what time of day or night it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said quietly, his cheeks warm. “Uh, thank you. And thanks for helping me out last night, and for every time before that… It means a lot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko smiled slightly at him over the top of his mug. “It’s what anyone would do, Sokka.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” he hummed. “But it means a lot to me that it’s</span>
  <em>
    <span> you </span>
  </em>
  <span>doing it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Zuko’s turn to blush now, and his jaw opened before he shut it again, clearly searching for something to say. “It’s… It means a lot to me that you let me, Sokka.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once again, there was a gravity to his words, a certain emotion and meaning to them that went beyond what Zuko was actually saying, just like there had been last night. Sokka remembered, suddenly, thinking that maybe they’d talk about this thing between them in the morning, and knew he wanted to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to know if Zuko helped him so much because he had feelings for him, or if he really was just that kind and giving, or if maybe it was a little bit of both… He wanted to know if there was a reason Katara put a winky face after every message she sent about Zuko, if maybe she was implying something he’d been ignoring out of the fear of getting his hopes crushed. He wanted to know if Zuko’s gentle touches last night were a little more than platonic, and if he let Sokka hold his hand because he knew it was what he needed in that moment, or if it was because Zuko wanted to hold his hand, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled slightly and sat up, grabbing the ice pack from his leg and placing it on their coffee table. He then shifted carefully so that he was sitting much closer to Zuko than he had been, in a figure four with his left foot resting on the floor and his right against his thigh. Then, before he could second guess himself, he reached out and laced his fingers through Zuko’s again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And maybe everyone would get me a heating pad, and maybe they’d get me my painkillers. But I don’t know that anyone else would let me hold their hand all night, or would play with my hair because they know it soothes me.” He looked up from their interlocked fingers to find Zuko’s eyes on him already, wide and hopeful. Sokka swallowed and finished, staring straight at him, “I do know, though, that even if they did, it wouldn’t be the same. It wouldn’t be the same, because it wouldn’t be you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko’s thumb swiped across his knuckles, and his face melted into something soft. “Sokka, I… Uh… Well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know,” he said after it became clear Zuko wasn’t going to speak again, “half the reason I couldn’t open my eyes last night was because I didn’t want to risk looking at you and not see my love for you echoed back in your eyes. And half the reason I had to leave my room this morning was because I was scared that if I stayed, I’d do something foolish like kiss you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A shudder went through Zuko’s body, and when he spoke his voice cracked. “I wouldn’t have minded. If you kissed me, that is… And you would have seen love in my eyes. You would have seen… Fuck, you would have seen </span>
  <em>
    <span>so much</span>
  </em>
  <span> love, Sokka. And not as in, </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow I sure love my buddy.</span>
  </em>
  <span> As in, </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen and I would very much like to be your boyfriend because I’ve been in love with you for three years,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> he rushed to say, cheeks bright pink.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A wide smile spread across Sokka’s face as he gazed at Zuko and knew it was true, because his eyes were shining with it now. He laughed, leaning in ever so slightly closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you too, Zuko. I am so completely, utterly, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ridiculously</span>
  </em>
  <span> in love with you. And not just because you help me with my knee, but just… Everything about you, Zuko. I love every single thing about you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko laughed too, leaning away to set his mug on the coffee table. When he turned back to Sokka, his free hand came up to rest on his cheek lightly. Sokka leaned into it, and caught his palm with a chaste kiss. Zuko let out an audible gasp and said softly, “You said kissing me seemed like a foolish idea, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I think it’s one of the best ideas you’ve ever had. Because if I love you, and you love me-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka cut him off by closing the distance between them and slotting their mouths together gently. Zuko immediately stopped talking and melted into it, the hand that was on Sokka’s cheek sliding down to rest on the back of his neck and pull them closer together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kissing Zuko was… It was everything he’d ever imagined it and so much more, and he thought he could lose himself in it forever. It wasn’t anything fancy or passionate or deep, but he still felt every ounce of love Zuko held for him in it, and tried his best to pore himself into it as well. When Sokka pulled away to breathe, Zuko swaying forwards as he chased him, he did so with a wide smile and butterflies in his stomach and heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” he whispered, brushing a loose strand of Zuko’s hair behind his ear. “I should have done that ages ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko laughed, folding over to rest his head in the crook of Sokka’s neck. The soft puffs of air made him shiver, and when Zuko noticed he pressed a soft kiss to the goosebump covered skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No kidding,” he murmured after. “But it’s alright… I don’t plan on going anywhere. We can make up for lost time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka could only think to hug him tightly, and they stayed there until his leg started to throb again and he had to pull away with a low hiss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” Zuko asked worriedly, his eyes sad as he rested his fingers gently on Sokka’s left knee.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine,” he sighed. “I don’t really want this moment to end, but… Katara said I should be taking short walks today, and it’s starting to hurt again so I should probably listen to her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In that case…” Zuko stood up and stuck his hand out for Sokka to take. “Who ever said the moment has to end?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sokka smiled sappily as he took it, the gesture meaning more than he could say. As he stood up slowly, Zuko helped pull him to his feet and he murmured, “And this is why I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just this?” his best-friend-roommate-person-who-loved-him-back teased with a small smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not just this,” Sokka responded, kissing him softly. “This is merely the tip of the iceberg.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zuko laughed, their chests so close together that Sokka could feel it rumble through his one body, and reached down to hold onto his left hand. “Alright, sap. How about you tell me about it while we walk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I can do that,” Sokka smiled back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they walked around the apartment, heads closer together than they really needed to be in that moment, Sokka found that although his knee still hurt, it was that much more bearable with Zuko walking at his side, offering him a steady hand to hold and a warm shoulder to lean on. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you as always for reading and for leaving comments/kudos, and check out my tumblr! (<a href="https://zukosadragon-ace.tumblr.com/">@zukosadragon-ace</a>)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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